


Jack. Fucking. Kelly.

by blue_wind_gets_so_sad



Category: Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Gen, TW: Swearing, Tell me if anything else needs to be tagged, don't fuck with davey's family, he'll get very upset, if you want to see it as javid then go ahead, if you want to see it as them just being really close then go ahead idc, it's a carriage, it's honestly up to interpretation, kind of, some of the second chapter is based off of personal experience, someone tell me if i should do the eye dialect or not this is my first work for this fandom, totally not javid, tw: car accident, tw: injury, tw: panic attack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-15
Updated: 2018-07-16
Packaged: 2019-06-10 19:07:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15298080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blue_wind_gets_so_sad/pseuds/blue_wind_gets_so_sad
Summary: When Jack challenged Les to a race, he didn't expect what happened to happen. However, after it happened he knew one thing: Davey was going to kill him.(In which Davey trusts Jack to look after Les and, well, things don't go well.)





	1. "Les!"

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger warnings: Car accident (it's a carriage), swearing, injury (nothing severe).
> 
>  
> 
> I apologize to anyone who decides to read this.

                The day had gone smoothly so far. Jack had sold most of his papers, the sky was clear, the temperature was just right, and he had a little buddy to keep him company. Les had insisted that he wanted to hang out with Jack that day. Although Davey trusted Jack, he was still a little hesitant, but he ended up allowing it. Jack might’ve been the leader, but he was truly a little kid at heart, which could be good or bad. He was good with Les, but it was less of babysitting and more of a playdate.

                At the end of the workday, Jack had successfully sold all of his papers. Les had sold all of his about thirty minutes before Jack, but that was mainly because of the “poor orphan boy” routine he had mastered. Jack loved watching the kid work. He saw bits of himself in Les. The kid had Jack’s silver tongue, along with the determination they all had to have to survive. He also had Davey’s intelligence. He might not have known everything Davey did, but he wasn’t stupid. He had a little bit of all of them in him. He was developing their sense of humor, their accent, and their behavior. However, he had something to himself. He was brave. Yeah, the rest of them were brave as well, but he had the childlike bravery found in most kids. He yelled at the boys (and pushed them around), and he yelled at Pulitzer’s guard. Hell, he probably wouldn’t hesitate to yell at Spot Conlon if no one held him back. That bravery would get him or others hurt one day, no doubt.

                “Hey, uh, Les?” Jack flipped a coin up and down a few times before shoving it into his pocket and bending down to look at Les, his famous mischievous smirk spread across his face.

                “Yeah, Jack?” Les copied the smirk with ease.

                “How’s about I race ya back to the Lodge?”

                “Will I get anythin’ out of it?” He sounded serious, but Jack knew he was kidding.

                “Yeah, some exercise. Ya ready?” Jack replied with a chuckle. Les enthusiastically nodded in response and they both lined up using a staircase as a starting point. “Threeeeeee…..twoooooo…….”

                “Jack!”

                “One!” With that, they both took off. Les had an advantage because he was smaller and could navigate through crowds of people easier than Jack could, but that didn’t stop Jack’s competitive nature. Nothing stopped either of them as they tore down the sidewalk, not even the people they ran into. (They both yelled apologies as they ran, though. They weren’t _that_ rude.) They could see the Lodging House in the distance. It was at that point that Les decided to speed up. Apparently, he was saving most of his energy for when they got closer. (Like I said, the kid wasn’t stupid.) Jack chuckled and increased his speed a little bit, but it wasn’t enough to catch up to Les. However, when he noticed the scene that was about to unfold, his adrenaline decided it would help out.

                Les was so caught up in the race, he didn’t notice the out-of-control carriage barreling down the street he was about to try to cross. “Les!” Jack exclaimed. “Les, stop! Look out!”

                “You ain’t about to get me with that trick, Jack!” Les showed no signs of stopping.

                “Damn it, kid!” Les was only a few feet away from the street and Jack’s adrenaline rush was only getting him so far. “Les, I’m serious! Stop runnin’!” He did stop running, but that was only because he tripped and fell into the street. It was then that he noticed the carriage coming straight for him. He scrambled to get up, but even he knew he wouldn’t be quick enough due to the shooting pain in his left leg. He didn’t stop trying, but he did close his eyes and ready himself for the impending impact. However, it never happened.

When he opened his eyes, he was sitting in someone’s lap. They were breathing heavily and they had one arm wrapped tightly around his back. It wasn’t tight enough to hinder his breathing, but it was tight enough to keep him from moving. The other hand was holding the back of his head to their chest. When he heard the person speak, he knew exactly who it was.

                “Davey’s gonna kill me.”

                Les gently forced himself out of Jack’s grip but didn’t get up. “Not if we don’t tell him.” The younger boy noticed tears mixed in with Jack’s sweat, but he didn’t say anything.

                Jack scoffed and grinned. “As much as I like that idea, the boys are bound to either come tumblin’ out of the Lodge or runnin’ down the street any minute now. Can’t exactly ignore the sounds of screaming and a carriage crashin’. Even if we tried to hide it, we’d have’ta come up with a good explanation as to why you’re all messed up. Not to mention the fact that your brother seems to be the only one around here that can see through our lies.”

                Les looked down at his arms and legs and saw how scratched up he was. His left leg still hurt, too. It didn’t feel broken, but he probably twisted his ankle. “Oh.” He frowned, then shrugged. “Doesn’t hurt that much.”

                “Les, you don’t have’ta-”

                “Hey-o, Jack! The hell happened!?” Race was jogging down the sidewalk to the left of them with Albert, Elmer, and Specs in tow.

                “See? What’d I say? We’re fine! Mostly.” Jack responded.

                “Oh my god. Les, ya alright?” Elmer questioned when they got over to Jack and Les.

                “Just a few scratches…and my leg feels a bit funny.” Les shrugged again.

                “Davey’s gonna kill you.” Albert and Race commented in unison.

                “Jack said the same thing!” Les exclaimed with a smile.

                “Speaking of, you alright, Jack?” Specs asked.

                “Heh. Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry ‘bout me.”

                “We should probably get you two to the Lodge.” Specs continued.

                “Take Les. Someone has to wait for Davey just in case.”

                “I’ll wait for Davey. Jack, go.” Elmer crossed his arms over his chest.

                “Elm-”

                “Do ya really want Davey to show up and see you without Les attached to your hip?” Elmer showed no signs of backing down.

                “He’s right, ya know.” Race agreed.

                “I know.” Jack sighed. He watched as Specs bent down to pick Les up off of his lap. “Watch his leg.” Instead of responding with an “I know,” Specs nodded. He knew when to be serious. Albert and Race helped Jack up off of the ground and it was only then that he realized how hard he collapsed onto the wall of the building behind them after he plucked Les off of the street. His back _hurt_. He could walk, but he damn sure couldn’t stand up straight. It would wear off, though. At least he hoped so.

                Elmer sighed as he watched Jack argue with Albert and Race as they walked. They were obviously trying to help him walk, but he wasn’t having any of it. “Jack might be our leader, but he’s a whoppin’ idiot,” Elmer mumbled to himself. Almost as soon as they entered the Lodging House, Elmer saw Davey approaching the crushed carriage a few yards away from him. Davey’s eyes were widened with an obvious mixture of fear and panic, while his skin was tinted a furious red and his clenched fists shook at his sides. Elmer jogged over and approached him cautiously. “Hey, Dave- ah, hell.” When Davey didn’t acknowledge his presence, he followed Davey’s gaze and saw what he was staring so intently at. Les’s hat had somehow ended up over here. Maybe it had fallen off of his head when he fell and got carried over there by the carriage? “Okay, Davey. I promise this isn’t what it looks like.” Davey ignored him and stepped forward to grab the hat off of the ground. He handled the hat delicately like it was a fragile piece of glassware. The red disappeared from his skin and the only thing left was pure worry. His eyes flickered up to Elmer. Elmer saw tears threatening to spill, so he started talking. “Alright. Les is fine. He said his leg feels funny, along with some scratches, but he’s fine. Specs took him to the Lodge. He’s fine. Somethin’s up with Jack, but he won’t tell us. Ya know him. Doesn’t want anyone worryin’ ‘bout him.” Suddenly, the red tint was back.

                “Jack. Fucking. Kelly. I’m going to kill him.” Davey took off toward the Lodge.

                “W-Wait! That’s funny. Jack said the same thing.” Elmer caught up and walked behind him. “You could always…not kill him. That’s a fun option.” He didn’t think Davey would actually kill Jack, but he’d never seen him this angry before. None of them had. Davey threw the front door open and stormed into the house. They were both greeted by a worried Romeo.

                “Oh, thank god you showed up! I was ‘bout to go out and look for ya myself! Listen, Crutchie and Specs is takin’ good care of Les, but somethin’s up. I know you probably want ‘ta kill Jack right ‘bout now, but somethin’s seriously wrong with him and none of us know what it is. We figured that if anyone knew it’d be you.” Romeo said rapidly.

                “Is it his back?” Elmer questioned, even though Romeo was talking to Davey.

                “There’s somethin’ wrong with his back? Nah, that isn’t it. This is…it’s bad. You comin’?”

                Davey looked down at Les’s hat in his hands, then looked up and behind him when Elmer reached over and put a gentle hand on the hat. “I’ll go to Les, alright? If you can’t help Jack, no one can.” Davey looked back down at the hat again, then let Elmer take it after a few moments of thought.

                “Where is he?” Davey asked, his voice softer than before.

                “Upstairs. C’mon.”


	2. "I'm good."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Davey helps Jack while Race and Albert stand outside like big idiots.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warnings: Panic attack, swearing.

                “Where is he?”

                “Upstairs. C’mon.” Romeo took off up the stairs and Elmer continued down the hallway. Davey huffed and followed Romeo. “We had him down there on a bunk, but he was gone as soon as we turned ‘round. Had us worried ‘til Race figured he went up to the roof.”

                “Did he?”

                “Yes and no. He was _on his way_ up to the roof.” They rounded a corner and stopped when they saw Race and Albert leaning against the wall. “How’s he doin’?”

                “Don’t know. He won’t talk to us. He’s too busy freakin’ the fuck out.” Race added a nervous chuckle. Davey furrowed his brows and walked up to the door in front of them. He knocked hard enough to hear but soft enough to not startle Jack.

                “Jack? It’s Davey. Can I come in?”

                “It’s unlocked,” Albert commented. Davey sent him a harsh glance before returning his attention to the door.

                “Jack, I’m coming in, alright?” Davey waited a few seconds for a response, then opened the door. When he saw Jack curled into a corner of the room, he decided that it would be best to close the door back behind him. Jack seemed physically okay, but his face read pain. “Jack?” Davey whispered. He received no response. He moved closer to Jack and hesitantly reached out to put his hand on his right shoulder. When he made contact, Jack flinched back violently and tried to press further into the corner. He threw his head back into the wall and one hand went to scratch at his neck, while the other hand clutched his chest. He clenched his teeth and squeezed his eyes closed tighter. His chest rose up and down quickly and that’s when Davey realized what was happening.

                “Alright, Jack. I’m not going to touch you, but I need you to breathe.”

                “C-Can’t!”

                “Words. Words are good. Jack, I know it’s hard, but you need to try.”

                “Can’t…b-breathe…help…”

                “I’m going to help you, Jack. I promise. But you need to…how about this. Can you find five things you can see?”

                It took a few moments, but he opened his eyes. He took a few glances around the room before closing his eyes again. “The, uh, the w-window.” It was becoming easier for him to talk, but his breathing hadn’t slowed.

                “That’s one. Keep going. I believe in you.”

                “F-Five? Christ. I can’t breathe…and you’se makin’ me…look at things.” Jack let his head fall forward and he opened his eyes again. “The floor.”

                “The floor. Good. Three more.”

                “The sun.” Davey noticed his chest slowing its movements.

                “Two more. You can do it.”

                “My hands.”

                “Last one, Jack.”

                “I see…you? D-Davey?”

                “It’s me. It’s Davey. It’s alright. I’m not going to hurt you. I need you to find four things you can touch.”

                Jack’s eyes widened and he readjusted himself. “Davey, I’m s-so-”

                “Four things you can touch, Jack.”

                Jack swallowed and nodded. He looked down and unclenched the fist that was still grasping his shirt. “My shirt.”

                “Keep going. Three more.”

                “My cap.”

                “Two.”

                “My face.”

                “One.”

                “The wall.”

                “There we go. Do we need to keep going?” Jack’s breathing was normal, but Davey knew that that didn’t mean he was completely calm.

                “I don’t…I don’t think so. I think I’m good.” Jack took a deep breath and slowly released it, almost as if to show proof that he was okay.

                “Are you sure?”

                “Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay. I’m not the one you should be worryin’ about anyway.” Jack slumped against the wall.

                “Les…is in good hands. He’ll be alright for right now. Jack, has that ever happened to you before?”

                “No, it hasn’t. That was…scary.”

                “Do you know what caused it?”

                “I left the bunk down there to try and head up to the roof. I started thinking about what could’ve happened. L-Like, what if I wasn’t fast enough, ya know? What if _I_ tripped before I could reach him? Wh-What if-”

                “Calm down, Jack. You’re starting to panic again.”

                “What was it, Davey? What happened?”

                “I think it was a panic attack.”

                “You mean those things you have? But that wasn’t-”

                “As violent? I know. They’re different for everyone that gets them. With mine, I’m more in touch with my surroundings. I know I’m not going to die, and I know that they’ll stop eventually. I’m more focused on getting them to stop…any way humanly possible.” Davey shook his head then continued. “I just hope you know that having them doesn’t make you any less of a leader. They don’t make you weak.” Jack nodded and they sat there in silence until Davey broke the silence a few minutes later. “Want a hug?” He questioned.

                “What?” Jack responded.

                “Physical contact usually helps me, whether it be during an attack or after. I know you didn’t like it when I touched your shoulder earlier, but-”

                Unexpectedly, Jack tossed his arms open and beckoned Davey toward him. “’Cause I didn’t know it was you.” Davey smiled softly and accepted the hug. They sat there for so long like that, both of them almost fell asleep in each other’s arms. They would’ve, too, if it wasn’t for the idiots at the door.

                “Hey, Jack, Davey! Did ya die in there?” Albert called out while banging on the door.

                “Nah, they’s just havin’ some time alone.” Davey and Jack could almost _hear_ Race’s obnoxious wink. They both groaned and Davey sat up.

                “Want to go to the roof?” Davey questioned.

                “You gonna kill me up there for puttin’ Les in danger?” Jack was smiling, but he was serious.

                “I’m not going to kill you, Jack. Not yet, anyway.” Davey smiled back, then added: “I’m not going to say I’m not mad or upset. But…he isn’t dead. Neither are you. That’s the important part of all of this. Now, come on.” Davey helped Jack up off of the floor. Jack tried to straighten up, but he was instantly reminded of his back.

                “Ah. Shit. Forgot ‘bout that.”

                “Don’t straighten your back. Let me help.” They walked out of the room together and managed to ignore Albert and Race until they got to the staircase.

                “Hey, Jack? You okay?” Race asked, completely serious.

                “Yeah, I’m good.” Jack moved his gaze to Davey but was still talking to Race. “I’m good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Davey and Jack spent the night on the rooftop.  
> -They came down the next morning to discover that the boys had created a crutch identical to Crutchie's (but smaller) for Les.  
> -Davey fussed over both Jack and Les the entire day and absolutely refused to let either of them out of his sight.


End file.
